Local rapper Count Bass D, by contrast, has cultivated a sound that few could copy, from his plainspoken rap flow to his infinitely detailed tracks. That's the well-known story about Count, a hyper-creative musician working in a genre that has fans who often prefer a herd mentality, punishing the extraordinary in favor of the common.

Rather than thinking about Count's latest record, L7 (Mid Life Crisis), as new music, look at it as the latest chapter in a constantly evolving musical. Now approaching 35 and married with five kids, Count takes stock of where he's been and where he's going. He hasn't yet made good on his vow to "become a square," continuing to explore the outer edge of rap music and spit some introspective lyrics.
Moving into middle age can be unnerving for any rapper, yet Count moves in as smooth as the synthesizer hum and bassline on his track "Neon Soul," mixing boasts about his rap prowess with lines about the joys of being a dad, and doing it all with his distinctive wit.

Most other MCs in Count's cohort take great pains to make themselves palatable to the ravenous appetites of the young. Count strives to show fans how much he loves hip-hop, even though, financially, at least, it hasn't always loved him back.